Attila this is the first part of your petition
Over the last decade there have been a growing number of circumstances in which both bird watchers and bird photographers have been using mice purchased at pet stores in order to lure (or "bait") raptors (also known as birds of prey) closer to them for the purpose of either photography or observation
1. You yourself on this forum in another post claim that you are new to birding as of the past two years. Then how do you know that baiting has increased over the last ten years?
Has someone been giving you this information?
2. Have you seen a bird watcher bait a bird, as I have never witnessed this.
3. You seem to be talking about owls here, or I am I miss guided?
For your information, owls do not fall under the family of raptors, but are a family of there own. I have never seen or heard of anyone photographer or birder bait a hawk. It seems you are a bit new to this, if you do not know this.
There are thirty-two species of diurnal raptors including hawks, ealges, kites, Northern Harrier, and Osprey that nest in North America.
Owls are also known as birds of prey but most owls hunt nocturnally and are placed in the families Strigidae and Tytonidae
for typical owls and barn owls.
You don't state any facts of how many birds have perished due to baiting.
You say no study has ever been conductated, so why do you believe that birds are perishing due to baiting?
You don't give any locations, times or dates to back up your claim of said baiting.
If you thought that feeding a mouse to a starving owl would save the owl would you feed it?
The owl rescues feeds thousands of feeder mice to owls as that's what owls eat. I don't hear of any dying because of this.
This is from the page of the owl foundation
"
What do the owls eat?
Most of the owls at TOF are fed laboratory-bred mice. Many of our larger species also eat rats and quail. We also house several insectivorous owl species that are fed large mealworms."Feedere mice are feed to exotic pets, and they are not dying from eating them.
I don't understand how you think you can have a new law introduced with out facts.
They put up netting on the Bloor viaduct bridge to stop people from jumping off. If no one was jumping off how could you convince them to put up nets. This is how your claim sounds to me.
Here is the second paragraph you wrote:
While there is no definitive number which can be arrived at, the act of baiting can be indirectly linked to the death of several species of raptors.
"Serveral species"
What species do you know that have died indirectly?
Where, when and how?
Here is a link to the Simcoe board and some interesting reading for anyone thinking of signing the petition. Look under the Orillia Hawk Owl posting.
http://www.b2g4.com/boards/board.cgi?us ... atureBoardI see you and Norm are trying to send this petition to all sites I and others go to to see bird postings.
Not sure what got your knickers in a knot, but would love to know this.
It seems to me that you have nothing better to do, and although you think your helping to save the birds your not.
The new windmill farm on Wolf Isand will probably kill more migrating birds than anyone feeding mice to birds.
If you read the postings on Ontario Birds, you will see the Boreal owls are being killed in Owl woods. This is not due to someone feeding them mice, but most probably another raptor. Snowy owls have been reported many times being hit by cars, and the Orillia Hawk owl was reported hit by a car, and NO proof of baiting has been found.
If I was a judge and read your petition, I would surely throw it out for wasting the courts precious time. Or I may ask you to come back with some proof and then re-evaluate your claim.
I AM A PHOTOGRAPHER, AND REALLY DISAPPROVE OF YOUR ANTICS.
I DO NOT BAIT BIRDS, AND KNOW MANY GOOD PHOTOGRAPHERS AND BIRDERS ALIKE, AND YOUR ACCUSATIONS HAVE NO FOUNDATION, AND I RESENT THEM.
Your time would be better spent, gathering proof and having the very very few that are baiting birds reported to the ministry, rather the paint everyone with the same brush as Norm would put it.
If people could mind there own business the world would be a better place.
I can gaurentee you that I have spent more hours in the woods waiting to see a bird in the freezing cold than most birders or photographers, and when I read junk like this that is unfounded and with no substiance It gets me very upset. I and others like me love the birds, but the politics are getting out of hand.
You are starting to remind me of the infamous person that bears your name.
If you have read this far, please just tell me why you are on a crusade to pit people against each other for the mistakes of a few, and I say a few people that bait birds?
Regards
